USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation 2022 Boys & Girls Scholarship Winners

(Winter Haven, FL) - The USA Water Ski and Wake Sports Foundation is giving away thousands of dollars in scholarships to young water sports athletes from across the country.

These particular scholarships are awarded annually at the Goode Water Ski National Championships to the overall winners of each of the Boys and Girls Divisions. The Scholarships will be held in escrow by the foundation until these young people attend the college or university of their choice.

Boys 1 Scholarship Winner Jaxen Stabel with Lauren Morgan

Jaxen Stabel from Chico, California won the Boys 1 National Overall Points award at the Goode U.S. National Water Ski Championships and has been awarded the Jim Grew Boys 1 Scholarship sponsored by Jim Grew in the amount of $2,000.

Girls 1 Scholarship Winner Reese Townsend and Lauren Morgan

Reese Townsend from Gilbert, Arizona won the Girls 1 National Overall Points award and has been awarded the Jim Grew Girls 1 Scholarship sponsored by Jim Grew in the amount of $2,000.

USAWWF Scholarship Administrator presents Bode Bulfer with the Boy 2 Scholarship

Bode Bulfer from Northfield, Minnesota won the Boys 2 National Overall Points and has been awarded the Walsh Family Boys 2 Scholarship sponsored by the Walsh Family in the amount of $2,000. Bode won the Boys 1 Overall Scholarship last year.

Rachel May presents Lexi Abelson with the Girls 2 Scholarship

Alexia “Lexi” Abelson from Holderness, New Hampshire won the Girls 2 National Overall Points award and has been awarded the Walter May Girls 2 Scholarship sponsored by Rachel May in the amount of $2,000 for the second straight year.

Boys 3 Scholarship Winner Damien Eade with Lauren Morgan

Damien Eade from Clermont, Florida won the Boys 3 National Overall Points award and has been awarded the Dutch Brothers Coffee Boys 3 Scholarship in the amount of $1000. The scholarship was established in 2019 by Steve & Nicole Grubbs.

Girls 3 Scholarship Winner Cameron Davis with Lauren Morgan

Cameron Davis from Milford, Virginia won the Girls 3 National Overall Points award and has been awarded the Gus Johnson Girls 3 Scholarship sponsored by Kelly Li Johnson in the amount of $1000. The Gus Johnson scholarship was established in 2021 to recognize his contributions to the sport as a tournament organizer going back to the 1950s. With many National and multiple world records set at the events, Gus Johnson's biggest joy was to see new juniors ski their first tournament and set personal bests.

Boys 4 Scholarship Winner Jake Abelson with Lauren Morgan

Jake Abelson from Holderness, New Hampshire won the Boys 4 National Overall Points award and has been awarded the Dr. JD Morgan Boys 4 Scholarship in the amount of $1000. This scholarship was established in 2000 by Mike and Kerry Morgan to support the Boys 4 Overall competitors.

Girls 4 Scholarship Winner Aly Custer and Lauren Morgan

Aly Custer from Lake Lotawana, Missouri won the Girls 4 National Overall Points award and has been awarded the Linda Giddens Girls 4 Scholarship sponsored by Jody Johnson in the amount of $1,000. This scholarship was established by Jody Johnson to honor his mentor Linda Giddens a many-time national and world champion and strong supporter of all of our juniors.

Boys 5 Scholarship Winner Ty Kosek with Lauren Morgan

Ty Kosek from Buffalo, Minnesota won the Boys 5 National Overall Points award and has been awarded the Dr. JD Morgan Boys 5 Scholarship sponsored by Dr. Mike Morgan in the amount of $1,000. Last year, Ty won the Boys 4 Overall and scholarship.

Girls 5 Scholarship Winner Cleia Stern and Lauren Morgan

Cleia Stern from Groveland, Florida won the Girls 5 National Overall Points award and has been awarded the Linda Giddens Girls 5 Scholarship sponsored by Jody Johnson in the amount of $1,000. This scholarship was established by Jody Johnson to honor his mentor Linda Giddens, a many-time national and world champion and strong supporter of all of our juniors.

Established in 1968, the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation preserves and celebrates the history of all towed water sports and promotes these sports through our Scholarship Programs and the Water Ski & Wake Sports Hall of Fame.

For more information on scholarships go to our website: https://www.usa-wwf.org/ or email scholarshipadmin@waterskihalloffame.com

St. Onge and Siemers named to Hall of Fame Class of 2023

The USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee is pleased to announce the 2023 inductees to the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation Hall of Fame. Keith St.Onge and Jimmy Siemers will be formally enshrined at the 40th Annual USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, April 15, 2023.

Keith St. Onge

When you think of barefoot water skiing, you think of Keith St. Onge. A dominant force in the sport for decades, KSO set the bar high for the next generation. As a young man, he shared the dock with Scarpa and Seipel and soon surpassed those pioneers of the sport, bringing barefooting into the new millennium.

KSO was the first barefooter to score more than 10,000 points in tricks and has set world records in all three events. He currently holds the men's slalom world record of 20.6 points. He's won 14 world championship gold medals and is a two-time overall world champion.

KSO has also won the U.S. National Overall title an unprecedented 19 times. Outside traditional three-event barefooting, KSO has won the Footstock Figure Eight National Championship three times.

KSO is a two-time International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation Athlete of the Year, he has won the USA Water Ski Athlete of the Year multiple times, is a Banana George Blairfooter of the Year, competed in the ESPN X-Games, and served as an American Barefoot Club Tournament Driver and Judge. He also is a member of the 2022 World Show Ski Team which will be competing in October.

KSO may have stopped barefooting competitively, but he still spends nearly every day on the lake with his family passing on his unwavering love of all types of water sports.

Jimmy Siemers

Jimmy Siemers is a three-time world-record holder and three-time world champion. He set two world records in the jumping event with 233 feet and 236 feet and his best skiing moment came when he set the world overall record.

Jimmy is a four-time U.S. Masters tricks champion, two-time Moomba Masters tricks champion, and two-time U.S. Open overall champion. In 2003 he was named the IWWF’s Male Water Ski Athlete of the Year after an incredible run of accomplishments that saw him win gold medals in tricks, jumping, and overall at the U21 Water Ski World Championships; gold medals in tricks and overall and the silver in jumping at the Elite Water Ski World Championships; gold medals in Open Men tricks, jumping and overall at the Goode Water Ski National Championships; pro jump titles at the Malibu Open and MasterCraft Pro; gold medals in tricks, jumping and overall at the Collegiate All-Stars; and the gold medal in tricks at the Collegiate Nationals.

He is a former member of the Arizona State water ski team, for which he won the trick event at Collegiate Nationals four times in his four years on the team before graduating in 2006. In addition to his four trick wins, he was an All-American in tricks, jumping, and overall throughout his college career. He also set a collegiate tricks record in his last tournament as a college student.

Huge Congratulations to KSO and Jimmy... we can't wait to celebrate with them on April 15, 2023, at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland! Details on tickets and sponsorships will be released soon... we hope to see you there!

Established in 1968, the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation celebrates the history of all towed water sports and promotes these sports through our Scholarship Programs and the Water Ski & Wake Sports Hall of Fame.

Lexi Berens wins the $10,000 Barbara Bolding/Jim Grew Scholarship

Alexa Berens of Prior Lake, Minnesota is the 2022 recipient of the $10,000 Barbara Bolding/Jim Grew Scholarship. Lexi is a Senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in Biology.

The USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation scholarships are awarded each year to water skiers who show leadership abilities and demonstrate that involvement in the sport has helped them grow both personally and academically.

"I’m thankful for this opportunity granted to me by the USA Waterski & Wake Sports Foundation.

The two most important things in my life are my education and waterskiing. Throughout my

college career it has been an honor promoting and spreading the joy of the amazing waterski

community," says Lexi.

Lexi is a scion of the water skiing community and does it all. She skied her first ski show at Tommy Bartlett's when she was just 12 years old and skied there until the legendary show closed down.

Lexi currently competes on the University of Wisconsin's Collegiate Water Ski Team where she competes in all three events: slalom, tricks, and jumping. Lexi and the team qualified for D1 Collegiate Nationals and the Collegiate All-Stars tournament.

Lexi is also captain of the Twin Cities River Rats Waterski Show Team where she performs in several acts including Swivel. She competes in the open division of the Flaunt It Tour and has won several competitions. Lexi is also an amazing barefooter and trains in Florida at the World Barefoot Center several times a year.

“I’m extremely honored to receive the Barbara Bolding/Jim Grew scholarship. Waterskiing

continues to be a major part of my life and knowing that my passion for the sport gave me this

amazing opportunity to help further my education is beyond inspirational," says Lexi.

The Barbara Bolding/Jim Grew Scholarship was established in 2001 and is given to a qualifying female who attends a four-year accredited college and skis primarily in AWSA, NCWSA, or USA-AWSWS tournaments.

Established in 1968, the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation preserves and celebrates the history of all towed water sports and promotes these sports through our Scholarship Programs and the Water Ski & Wake Sports Hall of Fame.